T&T gov't pursuing leads in identifying boats involved in oil spill

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government says it is continuing to pursue efforts to identify and detain the vessels involved in the oil spill that occurred off the coast of Tobago in February, damaging some of the island’s mangroves and threatening its tourism and fishing sectors.

Energy Minister, Stuart Young, speaking in the Senate on Tuesday said that while the removal of the remaining hydrocarbon spill, which was first spotted off the coast of Tobago’s Atlantic Coast on February 7, is expected to be completed by the end of next month, the government is pursuing information that one of the boats involved had been arrested in Angola.

Young told legislators that the 'Solo Creed' tug which had been towing the “Gulfstream” barge, also strongly suspected to be at the center of the oil spill, was classed with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) until December 31, 2018.

But he said after that date no further registration details were available and that it appeared the vessel had not been reclassed or registered for several years.

He said that the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard has been working in close collaboration with its Guyana counterpart as well as the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) to assist in identifying the tug’s owner.

In addition, he said, the director of the Maritime Services Division (MSD) has been reaching out to various similar divisions within CARICOM, Panama, and Africa, as well as IR Consilium, to identify the vessel(s) and the owners.

He said official correspondence was dispatched to Panama and Tanzania, seeking relevant information regarding the two vessels. The MSD was also contacted by a Nigerian lawyer representing the purported owner of the vessels.

“MSD is currently scrutinising the validity of the claims, having initiated inquiries with the Nigerian Government. However, at this time, there’s reasonable suspicion related to this particular claim and correspondence.”

But Young acknowledged that despite great efforts and all searches failing to locate the tug, recently there have been reports of the 'Solo Creed' being arrested in Angola.

“Immediately, Government dispatched official correspondence to the Government of Angola to obtain information to confirm whether the tug has in fact been detained. This line of inquiry is being pursued.

“At a recent meeting at the International Oil and Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund in London, when Trinidad and Tobago made submissions to this body, it became apparent that unfortunately there is a global network of rogue vessels attempting to operate under the law and international obligations similar to how both vessels and their owner(s) operated, where it’s very difficult to ascertain those legally responsible for the vessels.”

Young told the Senate that once ownership is established, the Trinidad and Tobago government will take legal action against the purported owners.

“We’ll continue using our relationships and resources, including an independent satellite provider, to ascertain the owner(s). The International Marine Organisation is also identifying a consultant to assist,” Young said.

Last month, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said Trinidad and Tobago expects to receive “a significant sum” in compensation for the oil spill clean-up in Tobago.

Rowley said that the oil spill had occurred because of the activities of  “people who did not want others to know that they were involved in what was happening there.

“The ocean is a very big place and a lot of things go on there and that’s why there is an international body which exists to come to a country’s aid if you find yourself being damaged by an oil spill of that nature or similar nature.”

Rowley did not name the international agency, but earlier this month, Energy and Energy Industries Minister, Stuart Young, said Port of Spain had made presentation to the United Kingdom-based International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF) for compensation ranging from US$14 million to US$20 million”

Meanwhile, Young told the Senate that the international operators retained by the government to remove the oil from the barge are currently looking at a further estimated 11,000 barrels.

“The process has been somewhat delayed as this is on the Atlantic side with an overturned vessel on a reef—every time there’s rough waters or bad weather, they have to cease for safety reasons. It’s expected that the decanting of the fuel remaining will be completed by the end of July,” Young said, adding that the Environmental Management Authority and the Institute of Marine Affairs are ascertaining the level of environmental damage.

“We’ve also brought in other international experts as well as some local experts. They’ve been doing the necessary evaluations of the effects on the environment, which so far fortunately haven’t been as disastrous as it could have been,” he added.

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